Birthdays, Bands, and Boats

Nothing ever slows down here at the Palm house, or so it seems.

Last weekend we braved a torrential rainstorm (with flash flood warnings and all) to attend a birthday party on the other side of the island. And boy were we glad we made the drive because the home that we were at and its views were absolutely breathtaking. Here's just an example . . .

And here we are cheesing it up for the camera . . .

It's always fun to experience new and different parts of the island, and visit with friends, so we were glad we went to the party.

Then it was back to the usual . . . work, school, and playdates of course. I had to post this picture of the kids trying out "Rock Band" for the first time at our friend, Kathy's house. Uncle Kurt would be proud . . . although it's too early to tell if either one of my children have any musical talents yet.

This past week was a little bit different in that Brian took leave on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday . . . Tuesday was his "homework" day, Thursday was his golf day, but he gave us Wednesday all to ourselves . . . and we took full advantage. We started the day by taking the kids to the beach for a couple hours, and they loved the change in pace of having Dad there too. Then we ran home, showered, grabbed some lunch, and we were back out the door to catch "The Boat" from Barbers Point Harbor to Aloha Tower, which is near downtown Honolulu.
The ride is about an hour, so we relaxed, took some pictures, and even spotted a whale not too far from the boat.



When the boat docked, we went over to the Gordon Biersch Brewery and Restaurant, and grabbed a bite to eat. The atmosphere couldn't have been better as we sat outside under the warm sun, enjoying yummy food and live music. After dinner we had a little time before our boat ride back, so we milled around the Aloha Tower shopping area. Then it was time to head home, so we grabbed the last boat back the other direction to end our fun day.

That about covers the excitement of our week. Charley is officially on spring break for the next two weeks, but we'll be plenty busy getting ready for our upcoming visitors, so no one will have time to get too bored. Our friends, the Williams family, will be arriving a week from today from Alaska on a house hunting mission. We were stationed with the Williams in Sacramento, but our paths split when we got sent to Arkansas and they got sent to Kodiak. Now, much to our delight, our paths are crossing again, as the Williams are moving to Hawaii this summer. Just a few days after they arrive, Brian's mom and step-dad will be arriving from Michigan for a spring visit. It's been awhile since we have had any guests (by our standards anyways), so we are all excited to see our friends and family.

So excited that Spring is officially here!!